Camelot given licence extension

Camelot has been given an extension to its lottery licence allowing the company to run the game beyond its original cut-off point.

Camelot has been given an extension to its lottery licence allowing the company to run the game beyond its original cut-off point.

The interim licence will allow Camelot to keep control of the National Lottery for a further two months to December 2001.

However, the Lottery Commission admitted that the company could still be organising the lottery well intoo 2002.

A spokesman for the commission said:"Camelot has been granted an extension to its licence so there will be no danger of the Lottery stopping. We want to see the Lottery introduced in a sensible way, and in a right and proper way for retailers.

"If we can't introduce it in a sensible way before Christmas, then we will introduce it at a later period.

The delay follows Camelot's battle to overturn the commission's decision to select Richard Branson's People's Lottery as the frontrunner for the new contract, the new operator was supposed to be appointed next September.